LAFIA, Nasarawa, Nigeria – The time was 6 a.m. on a very beautiful, balmy morning.
I hauled myself out of bed after incessant beeps from my mobile phone.
After dilly-dallying for few minutes, I picked up my phone and opened my inbox.
Then it happened.
Everything morphed into sorrow, and silence clouded our Friday.
Tears and celebration ripple through our faces.It was a heart-rending message from CNN Breaking News: “Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president who led the peaceful transition from white-only rule, has died aged 95, after a long illness.”
That verb “died” brought a cascade of flowing tears, sadness and sorrow.
I was startled. My eyes dilated as my soul drooped.
Finally, Mandela had left us.
Mandela remains one man whose name is eternally etched on my mind.
I remember he spent 27 excruciating years in prison at Robben Island off the southern coast of South Africa.
The reason?
He wanted a better life for his people: A life free from oppression, a life
free from maltreatment, a life free from injustice, a life of joy, justice and
tranquility.
Twenty seven years in prison is no picnic. It goes with suffering, tears, pain and anguish. Yet Mandela never gave up; he remained tenacious and exuded dogged determination.
He knew where he was going and he always knew what he wanted – freedom from debilitating apartheid.
Upon his release on February 11, 1990, he went on to diligently serve his people as president. A president with a difference, he was.
To many, he was famed for his predilection for humanity and humanitarian causes, but I have always seen him as a man who conquered apartheid, who stood for justice, who fought for freedom, and created an egalitarian society in South Africa.
Mandela is one man I draw inspiration from, a man whose death brought me nothing but sorrow and tears.
I have drunk from his cup of wisdom, and so have many African youths.
Africans, Africans and the world over will never forget his solicitude for his people.
One thing I learned from Mandela: Never, never be cowed by adversity.
This morning, I wrote this tribute to him:
What a magnificent tribute! This sums up beautifully how the whole world has been feeling all day today. Here in France the flags are all at half mast in his honour.And we miss this son of the world, our father in humanity.
Good deeds are rarely forgotten, and so are great men, men known for heroic deeds. Mandela is one. He's played his part, we must do well to make the world a better place. Nothing is too small, just as nothing is way too big. Every act of kindness and love betters the world. We might not exactly become latter-day Mandelas, but you have got to blaze a trail.
Thanks for dropping by, really appreciate it!